Mechanical handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

Mechanical handling apparatus (1) which includes rollers (7) which can be raised and lowered above or below a support surface, and a driven roller or rollers (14) which is driven by an electro-hydraulic system including a hydraulic motor (20) and which is mounted on a pivoted bracket (15) which can be raised and lowered by an air control ram (16) so that the roller (14) too can be raised and lowered relative to the support surface to engage a pallet (18) and drive that pallet (18) over the apparatus (1).

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to mechanical handling apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Conveyors such as roller tracks which can be raised above or loweredbelow a floor or other substratum are often mounted in positions whichare relatively inaccessible, for example in a 40' container vehicle. Itis often difficult to manhandle a load along the full length of thetrack in such circumstances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to seek to mitigate the disadvantagesof prior apparatus.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided mechanicalhandling apparatus, comprising a conveyor, a separate drive means, powermeans to drive the separate drive means, and a device mounting theseparate drive means so that that means can be raised and lowered withrespect to a surface for loads in which the apparatus is mounted formovement of loads over the surface when the power means is actuated.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is providedmechanical handling apparatus, comprising a conveyor in which rotatablemeans are supported by inflatable means so that, when such means isinflated parts of the rollers stand above a support surface and renderany load thereon mobile whereas when the means is deflated the rollersare retracted so that the load is immobile on the support surface, aseparate drive means associated with the conveyor, power means to drivethe separate drive means, and a device mounting the separate drive meansso that that means can be raised and lowered with respect to the supportsurface whereby when raised the separate drive means can contact andmove a load over the conveyor and when lowered the separate drive rolleris retracted out of contact with a load.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a supportsurface for loads such as a floor of a vehicle, including a mechanicalhandling apparatus as hereinbefore defined.

There may be a plurality of separate drive means spaced apart along theconveyor. This construction provides for a continuity of powered drivefrom separate drive, rotatable, means along the conveyor.

The device mounting the or each separate drive means may comprise apivoted mounting such as a bracket. This construction provides arelatively simple means of mounting the or each separate drive means formovement relative to the support surface.

The pivoted bracket may be coupled to a fluid-operated device to effectraising and lowering, the said device suitably comprising an air ram, anair inflatable bag, or a hydraulic ram.

Mechanical handling apparatus embodying the invention is hereinafterdescribed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit arrangement showing mechanical handlingapparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of mechanical handling apparatus embodying theinvention; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the mechanical handling apparatus 1 shown hasa hollow elongate body member 2 in the form of a channel member 3 whichhouses an inflatable device in the form of an air bag assembly 4 whichhas connectors (not shown) for connecting it to an existing air supplyof a vehicle for example. The mechanical handling apparatus 1 thus formsa track.

The open top of the channel member 3 is closed by a static supportsurface in the form of a top plate 5 (as viewed in FIG. 3) which has anumber of discrete openings 6. A roller 7 is aligned in the verticalsense, with each opening 6. The rollers 7 are freely rotatable and aremounted by means 8 such as a shaft and retainer nuts in a mounting inthe form of a channel shaped support 9 the underside of which is incontact with the air bag assembly 4.

The clearance of the rollers 7 and their associated openings 6 is suchthat substantially no foreign bodies can enter the channel member. Underthe support 9 and above the air bag 4 there is a flat plate (not shown)covering the width of the inside of the body member 2 to protect the airbag from foreign bodies which might possibly enter into the insidesection.

The apparatus 1 has stop means in the form of a plate 10 intermediateits length and independent of the air bag assembly 4. The stop plate 10comprises a flat plate which can be moved manually from one position toanother position in which it is supported in a slot 11 in the bodymember 2. There is a slot 11 at either side of the device, see FIG. 2.

There is a stop plate 12 at each end of the body member 2.

The stop plate 10 is between two rollers 7 so that in the inoperativeposition shown in FIG. 2, one edge lies close to one of the rollers.

There is a longitudinally extending guide plate 13 (FIG. 2) secured toone side of the apparatus 1 (though this guide plate can, it will beunderstood, be dispensed with).

The apparatus 1 also includes a separate drive means in the form of adriven roller 14. There is in the embodiment shown a driven roller atthe end of each conveyor section or elongate body member 2, in otherwords there is a driven roller 14 between adjacent elongate members 2,2' and 2" as shown in FIG. 2. A complete conveyor track then comprises aplurality of members 2, 2' and 2" laid end to end with a driven roller14 between the members. The spacing of the driven rollers 14 is selectedto match pallet lengths, it will be understood. There is also a drivenroller 14 at the ends (not shown) of the track. Each driven roller 14 ispivotably mounted by a device comprising a pivoted mounting or bracket15 which allows the driven roller 14 to be raised and lowered withrespect to top plate 5. This transverse movement with respect to the topplate 5 is effected by coupling the pivoted bracket 15 by a fluidoperated device in the form of an air ram 16 (with control valve 17) forcontrolling this movement. The driven roller 14 is driven to drive aload in the form of for example a pallet 18 over the apparatus 1 bypower means in the form of a transmission chain 19, hydraulic motor 20,control valve 21, motor/pump 22 with filter 23 and relief valve 24 and abattery 25.

The track is installed in situations where loads are to be handled, forexample in a container trailer, ship or aircraft hold. The tracks 1 aregenerally laid in parallel in pairs along the length of say a vehicle atlateral spacings adequate to support a load-carrying pallet 18. The airbag assemblies 4 and the air ram 16 are connected to a suitablerespective pneumatic source, which could be the air supply system of thevehicle (not shown).

In order to move a pallet 18 into the vehicle, the air bag 4 is inflatedso that the rollers 7 protrude above the plane of the top plate 5, whichis substantially flush with the floor of the vehicle which forms thesupport surface for the pallet 18. The air control ram 16 is alsoactivated to pivot the bracket 15 and raise the driven roller 14 abovethe support surface too. The motor 20 is actuated to rotate the rollers14 and so drive a pallet 18 along the track, the spacing between therollers 14, one pallet length, being such as to ensure that the pallet18 is continuously fed along the tracks 1.

When the pallet 18 is in the desired position, the roller 14 rotation isceased, the bracket 15 is pivoted downwardly (as considered in FIG. 1)and the air bags 4 are deflated so that the "live" tracks became "dead".The stop plates 12 can be flipped up manually, out of the plane of thetop plate 5, to help keep a pallet in position.

In order to unload the vehicle, the stop plates 12 are returned to thehorizontal position, the air bags 4 are inflated to raise the pallet offthe support surface, and the pivotable bracket 15 is raised in order toraise the drive roller(s) 14 so that it (they) too can engage the pallet18. The motor 20 is then operated in the reverse mode to rotate theroller(s) 14 in the opposite sense to that for loading, and the pallet18 is driven along the tracks 1 to the exit from the vehicle, where itcan be received by another conveyor system such as the kind often usedat airports, or by a fork-lift truck. The provision of the driveroller(s) 14 on a pivotable bracket 15 ensures that the roller(s) 14 canfreewheel when not in contact with a pallet and also the freewheelprovision in the embodiment shown avoids the difficulty in matching thespeed of the roller(s) 14 to the speed of an external conveyor. This isachieved in that the surface of the roller(s) moves in an arc when it israised and lowered. Also, the lowering of the roller(s) 14 ensures thatthe usual operation of the rollers 7 on raising and lowering of the airbags 4 can be achieved. Further, an adequate drive of the pallet 18 isachieved with limitation of the driven roller thrust vertically and thisavoids damage to a pallet and the requirement for excessively strongmountings for the bracket 14 and excessively powerful power means fordriving the roller(s) 14.

It will be understood that the mechanical handling apparatus 1 abovedescribed and shown in the drawings can be modified. For example, thestop plates 10 although shown can, and usually will, be dispensed withentirely. Also, the driven rollers 14 can be placed between paralleltracks 1 or alongside a track 1 rather than along the length thereof.Alternatively, a driven roller 14 can be incorporated in the elongatebody channel member 2. The power means shown is an electro-hydraulicdrive, but this could be replaced by a geared electric motor. The airram 16 for controlling raising and lowering of the roller 14 can bereplaced by an inflatable air bar or an hydraulic ram. The driven roller14 can also be directly driven by the hydraulic motor instead of throughthe transmission chain 19, which is then dispensed with. The air controlram or bag could also be driven from the same source as that for the airbags 4 by suitable modification. Also, where several rollers 14 areused, they could all be driven by a single power means and selected onescould also be raised and lowered by a common air ram, air bag orhydraulic ram.

It will also be understood that the expression drive means used hereinrefers to both a roller as shown and described, and a rotatable devicesuch as a chain, strand or belt which is endless and is trained aroundtwo or more rotatable members such as rollers, sprockets, wheels,pulleys or the like one or more of which is driven and with which thechain or, strand or belt moves. In every embodiment, the roller(s) 14 orendless chain, strand or belt can "slip" under a load such as a palletonce that pallet is stopped from further movement by abutment against astop such as a stop plate 10 or another pallet. The motor 20 can thuscontinue to drive the drive means for the load such as a pallet untilthe container vehicle is filled to the required amount. This saves onturnaround time and loading/unloading time.

The top plate 5 may it will be understood be flat rather than of channelsection as shown, though the illustrated channel section 5 is preferredas it is stronger. In either case the plate 5 is readily removable forreplacement or maintanance while the track is still mounted on a vehicleor other floor.

I claim:
 1. Mechanical handling apparatus for the movement of loads overa support surface comprising a conveyor which includes freely rotatablemeans and inflatable means for supporting said rotatable means, saidrotatable means and supporting means being positioned relative to saidsupport surface so that said supporting means may be inflated to raiseportions of said rotatable means above said support surface forrendering a load mobile on that surface and so that said supportingmeans may be deflated to retract said portions beneath said supportsurface for rendering said load immobile, the handling apparatus furthercomprising load drive means spaced from said rotatable means, said loaddrive means having surface means engageable with said load for movingsaid load along said conveyor and cooperable with said load for slippingrelative to said load when said load, while drivingly engaged by saidsurface means, encounters an obstacle which prevents movement of theload along the conveyor; power means for driving said load drive means;and means independent of said inflatable means for raising said loaddrive means independently of said rotatable means relative to saidsupport surface to bring said surface means of said load drive meansinto driving engagement with said load and for lowering said load drivemeans independently of said rotatable means relative to said supportsurface to retract said surface means of said load drive means out ofdriving engagement with said load.
 2. Mechanical handling apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of separate load drivemeans spaced apart along the conveyor.
 3. Mechanical handling apparatusas defined in claim 2, wherein each of said separate drive meanscomprises a roller which can be rotated by the power means. 4.Mechanical handling apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein saidraising and lowering means comprises a pivoted mounting.
 5. Mechanicalhandling apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the pivoted mountingincludes a bracket coupled to a fluid-operated device to effect raisingand lowering of said load drive means.